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This and That on a Grey November Day
In my previous blog, I wrote about the USS Grayback, and the submarine’s connection to the Village of Allen, MD. Time magazine has recently posted a story about the Grayback’s discovery. I share it with you should you be interested. https://time.com/5723782/wwii-submarine-uss-grayback-found/https://time.com/5723782/wwii-submarine-uss-grayback-found/
For many years now the wife and I have been members and supporters of the Mount Washington Observatory. On our first climb to the top, we were driving our 1976 Plymouth. On the way down our Radiator imploded and we sprung a leak. We were fortunate to find a shop on that day that made a temporary repair and we made it home to Connecticut. Quite frequently I pop onto the mountain’s web page and check the weather up on high. The observance @ 11:30 on 11/23/2019 was: Temp – 11.3f Wind Speed – 56.2 mph Windchill – 11.6f
Way back when in my Marine Corps days I was an Aerographer at one time. From that experience, I have always been interested in weather. I share with you the U.S. Navy job description of that occupation. The school I attended was a Navy school at Lakehurst Naval Air Station in NJ. https://www.public.navy.mil/bupers-npc/enlisted/community/crypto_it/Pages/AG.aspx
The Disgrace that is the NFL
Last year, midway through the NFL season I cancelled my NFL package on Directv. I must admit I did watch the playoffs and the Super Bowl, my life long beloved Philadelphia Eagles were there at the end. I’m 75 years old and my years of following this team and it’s locker room of players was just missing something, even after they won the big game.
A few of the first idols I had way way back in the day were Pete Retzlaff, Chuck Bednarak and Tom Brookshire. Unless your ancient like me or a life long eagles fan the names mean nothing to you. I dare say they would be appalled at what occurs on the football field sidelines today.
You see, I come from a military family. Both my father and step-father served in WWII, I spent 6 years in the Marine Corps and a few more in the National Guard during the Viet Nam War. My eldest daughter served in the Air Force and Navy and retired as a Major in the Air Force. Her husband is former Air Force. My son served in the Marine Corps during the First Gulf War. My eldest granddaughter and her husband are both USAFA graduates and Captains in the Air Force today. Our family has nieces and nephews on active duty and in ROTC in College.
And: We have all taken a knee, after running our ass off to stay in shape so when we are called to we can protect that flag and what it stands for. Pathetically there are NFL players who take their knee for some other purpose. In the short time I have left on this earth, the NFL will never be the same.
Last night my wife lost a sister in-law to cancer. The father of her children was Navy as was his brother, her son is active duty Air Force, a grandson was Air Force and another Navy. Bunny, we’re thinking of you and all the family.
I could go on with cousins, friends and neighbors who have served and you could watch the changing of the guard at Arlington to further add to this story. The real changing of the guard is on the sidelines of a football game performed by the NFL, and it is a disgrace.
I share with you, Colonel Jeffery A Powers letter to the NFL.
Wreaths Across America
Our daughter, a retired Air Force Major and her husband a former Air Force Staff Sergeant recently assisted in placing wreaths on deceased Military cemetery plots in Salisbury, MD. Perdue Farms, with Salisbury, MD their corporate headquarters, recently posted the following article on their web blog. With our son and I and many other family members having served in the military since the 1860’s I felt it fitting to re-post what Perdue does for those who served.
To all who served, thank you. To all who are honored with wreaths, may you rest in peace.
Wreaths Across America Escort to Arlington Coming to Salisbury, Md., as Part of Perdue’s War Veterans Memorial Wreath-Laying Ceremony
November 2, 2017
Perdue truck drivers participate in the 2016 Wreaths Across America wreath-laying ceremony at the Wicomico War Veterans Memorial at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center in Salisbury, Md. Perdue will conduct a similar ceremony at the memorial site on Dec. 14.
Wreaths Across America Escort to Arlington Coming to Salisbury, Md., as Part of Perdue’s War Veterans Memorial Wreath-Laying Ceremony
November 2, 2017
Salisbury, Maryland (Thursday, Nov. 2, 2017) — The annual Wreaths Across America (WAA) escort to Arlington National Cemetery will stop in Salisbury on Thursday, Dec. 14 to join Perdue Farms and its truck drivers in a public wreath laying ceremony.
The ceremony, part of the WAA mission to Remember, Honor and Teach through the laying of remembrance wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery, as well as nearly 1,300 additional locations across the country, will be conducted at 3 p.m. at the Wicomico War Veterans Memorial in front of the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center. The public is encouraged to welcome the WAA convoy to Salisbury and attend the ceremony, which will include the placement of seven ceremonial wreaths at the War Memorial by Perdue drivers, who are veterans themselves. The convoy is expected to arrive at the Civic Center parking lot by 2:45 p.m.
“When you think of the thousands of people who are serving in the military all around the world and the sacrifices that they and their families are making at this time of the year, the ability for us to help share and show respect for that sacrifice is really important, especially for those who made the ultimate sacrifice and are memorialized at Wicomico War Veterans Memorial, is really important,” said Jim Perdue, chairman of Perdue Farms.
The Salisbury Wreaths Across America stop is one of approximately 12 visits to schools, veterans’ homes, monuments and communities along the East Coast that the convoy will make during its weeklong journey from Harrington, Maine, to Arlington, Va. On Saturday, Dec. 16, the convoy will be met in Arlington by thousands of volunteers who will place wreaths for the individuals who served to protect the freedoms of our country, ensuring no one is forgotten.
The wreaths’ journey to Arlington has become a tradition in itself, allowing locals along the route to share in the emotional and educational experience as the WAA convoy passes through their hometown. This year, the WAA escort to Arlington will consist of 10 tractor-trailer trucks and approximately 175 volunteers, including Morrill and Karen Worcester, Wreaths Across America founder and executive director, respectively, American Gold Star Families, active and retired military members and Patriot Guard Riders. Perdue driver Rodney Abrams, a Marine Corp veteran, will lead the convoy from central Delaware to Salisbury.
“Wreaths Across America exist today because of the individuals and communities across the country like that of Salisbury who, like my husband who started bringing wreaths to Arlington 26 years ago, want to do something to show their gratitude,” said Karen Worcester, executive director of Wreaths Across America. “Placing a wreath is a simple gesture, but people coming together across the country to Remember, Honor and Teach, is what makes us all a part of a larger community of Americans.”
Since 2007, Perdue drivers have delivered more than 150,000 wreaths for Wreaths Across America. This year, Perdue drivers will deliver more that 25,000 wreaths to cemeteries from New York to Florida as part of National Wreaths Across America Day on Dec. 16. Their journey will include deliveries to the United States Naval Academy Cemetery in Annapolis, the United States Military Academy West Point Cemetery in New York, and Arlington National Cemetery.
“Perdue Farms and Perdue Transportation drivers, many of whom are veterans themselves, have been supporting the Wreaths Across America mission for more than a decade. We are very proud of our drivers and of their own military service,” said Perdue. “The care, attention and commitment our drivers give to the mission and their payload is impressive.”
Built in 2002 entirely with donations from the community, the Wicomico War Veterans Memorial honors those with a home of record in Wicomico County who lost their lives while defending the nation and our freedom. The names of 191 men from World War I to present day are displayed on bronze plaques on a brick wall with the words “Here we mark the price of freedom.” Flags from each branch of the military, the POW/MIA flag, county, state, and U.S. flags are flown around the clock to complete the memorial.
The Memorial not only publicly honors our fallen, but it also provides a visible remembrance for family members to visit and know that others appreciate their sacrifice. Public ceremonies are held at the Memorial each year on Memorial Day and Veterans Day.
About Perdue Farms
We’re a third-generation, family owned, U.S. food and agriculture company. Through our belief in responsible food and agriculture, we are empowering consumers, customers and farmers through trusted choices in products and services.
We focus on continuously improving everything we do, constantly learning, and sharing those insights across different production methods. That innovative approach is driving change throughout the company and onto farms. This continuous advancement is leading us toward our vision of becoming the most trusted name in food and agricultural products.
The PERDUE® brand is the number-one brand of fresh chicken in the U.S., and Perdue AgriBusiness is an international agricultural products and services company. As we approach our 100th anniversary in 2020, our path forward is about getting better, not just bigger. We never use drugs for growth promotion in raising poultry and livestock, and we are actively advancing our animal welfare programs. Our brands are leaders in no-antibiotics-ever chicken, turkey and pork, and in USDA-certified organic chicken. We’ve increased our support for the family farm by creating new markets, including specialty crops. Through agricultural services, we give farmers more options for the acre, including conversion to organic production and products and services that increase the sustainability of conventional agriculture. Learn more at www.perduefarms.com.
About Wreaths Across America
Wreaths Across America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded to continue and expand the annual wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery begun by Maine businessman Morrill Worcester in 1992. The organization’s mission, Remember, Honor, Teach, is carried out in part each year by coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies each December at Arlington, as well as a hundreds of veterans’ cemeteries and other locations in all 50 states and beyond. For more information, to donate or sign up to volunteer, please visit www.WreathsAcrossAmerica.org.
I can only hope the Rooster does not wind up in a Cryo Purdue wrapper. Merry Christmas one again everyone.
Veterans Day 2017
As we honor all who served and those that kept the home while they were gone, try to think just where we’d be, if everyone had taken a knee.
And then the Rains Came
Sitting here in central Connecticut as the rains have moved in. The Mid-Atlantic and Northeast U.S. have been quite dry for some time. Our first five days of travel, MD, PA, VT, NH and CT were warm sun lit days. Now we are in place at our son’s home in Tolland, CT and it looks like no sun for anyone on the East coast for the next five days. Along with no sun, lots of rain and perhaps a Hurricane a pending Air Force vs. Navy football game in Annapolis might be an aquatic adventure.
Tropical storm Joaquim is down in the South Atlantic and a possible track along the East Coast could make attending the game a miserable experience. Things have been relatively quiet for the Atlantic Hurricane season the past few years. No one is complaining about the lack of activity over the past few years. Me being a former weather person back in my military days, tend to follow and try predicting tracks of storms as a hobby. Often in the past we have run a family betting pool, big stakes by the way. Sometimes we’d bet buck, perhaps a bottle of wine, especially if the girls are smitten with the competitiveness. I’m always promoting that family zealous atmosphere.
Looking back to our five day adventure, Burlington, VT and the Courtyard Burlington Harbor hotel was a grand experience. Our water view and the setting sun over the lake descending into the Adirondack mountains of New York were spectacular. Lunch at Sweetwaters American Bistro was an experience not forgotten. The sheer volume of Food was eye bulging and very well prepared. Collectively we had Ahi Tuna, Bean Burgers and a Bean Burger salad. A spicy Chicken Taco was our appetizer which could have fed a small army. This restaurant was located in the Church Street Marketplace. Street vendors, Stores of every description as well as performers and musicians abound in this area. We walked downhill to get to Church St. After the meal we were heading back to the Champlain campus for our tour. This trip would be all up hill, I knew my recently repaired knee would not make the climb. Davids kindness prevailed for an old man and I had my first Uber ride.
After our campus tour we had dinner, always the food, at Olive Garden. Food good, Branyant University Soccer team there having a meal also. They would play UVM the next day and loose, 2-1.
Sunday morning saw us in Winooski for breakfast with David. Our meal here was consumed in Sneakers Bistro. Volume and great food were once again the norm. After a photo of David and yours truly in front of a Tatoo Parlor, we would drive the well fed college student back to campus and begin our circuitous back roads route to our next stop, Brattleboro, VT.
Semper fi, catch you all further down stream. 
